It is estimated that more than 130 people die every day in the United States due to an overdose of opioids. As reported by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, the opioid epidemic is a serious national crisis which affects social and economic welfare as well as public health. Healthcare facilities and hospitals must practice drug diversion prevention strategies and educate staff and patients on proper medication disposal methods.

Components of a Drug Diversion Prevention Plan

The first thing that healthcare facilities need is an awareness and understanding of the need for a pharmaceutical waste management program, based on environmental and regulatory concerns. Encouragement and authorization from the CEO is helpful when getting started, along with identifying the group of leaders in the facility that will provide multi-departmental coordination and administration support.

The next step is to evaluate drug disposal methods currently in place to local, state, tribal, and federal regulations. A drug diversion prevention plan should include a characterization of the entire Rx formulary per DEA and EPA regulations. Education of all staff is critical including nursing, pharmacy and environmental service employees. A system for collecting pharmaceutical waste which is safe and efficient is an important part of drug diversion prevention strategies.

Maintaining witness logs for proper “chain of custody” of controlled substance waste is another critical part of drug diversion prevention strategies. Hospitals and healthcare facilities must document the tracking of drugs from “cradle to grave” including where the medication is during custody, control, transfer and disposition in the facility. Most larger hospitals utilize an electronic form of witness logs with software designed for scanning the barcode of medication and entering the tracking information.

The Disposal Act of 2014 is the most recent DEA ruling supplementing the Controlled Substance Ace which states that hospitals must destroy controlled substances rather than dispose into collection receptacles. Rx Destroyer™ offers free compliance consultation to qualified customers along with training and education on industry best practices.

Rx Destroyer™ provides drug disposal compliance with safe, easy and affordable options. Our family of products offer an unmatched range of container sizes to meet the needs of any environment and do not require water, batteries, or a contract. Contact us to learn how to easily implement Rx Destroyer™ products as part of your compliant drug diversion prevention strategies.

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